Stands to remove forks

[servion]

Hello all, I'm in need of a fork seals replacement on my 2009 max and am hoping to suggestion as to a pair of stands. All I can find are the Piibull stands (over $500 for the pair), or Venom stands ($110 for the pair on eBay or Amazon).

The venom stands claim to have a set specific for the VMAX, but rhr picture shows a rear spool width of 10 to 14 inches, and my max measures about 16 inches from the center of the rear spools.

I sure don't want to spend $500+ on stands that I'll rarely use, and I sure dont want to spend $300 on labor for something I can do myself.

I don't think I'm comfortable with ratchet straps to the garage ceiling, and I dont have a cherry picker or anything else like that anymore. Any recommendations?

 

[Traumahawk]

I'm watching this thread. I will probably have to do this in the future.

 

[Itgoes]

I've been told that the T-Rex stands are an option. You of course want the triple tree attachment if you are pulling the forks. https://www.t-rex-racing.com/Black-...Stand-V-Vmax-p/blatt-blafv-blarv-vmax-pin.htm
PLEASE CONFIRM BEFORE YOU ORDER BECAUSE I HAVE NO PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THESE.

I purchased a "Black Widow" brand triple tree lift but the Gen 2 is too tall and the lift will not work unless I put it's wheels on a wood to make it taller.

I also have this: https://www.klsupply.com/jacks-stands/mc450-plate-for-09-vmax-37-7345.asp which works very well in conjunction with a block under the oil pan.



This gets the whole bike off the ground and is very steady. This setup is very handy if you have a wide wheel because you cannot use a spool stand when removing a wide wheel because you need to remove the drive pumpkin to get it off.

The K&L will not work with all aftermarket exhausts......I don't know which ones are a problem. I do know it works on stock and on the X-Pipe cat replacement pipes.

I also have 2 rear pit stands.....a Harris and a Pitbull and they both work fine.

 

[Drum Dog]

I bought both of the Venom stands they said were "VMAX Specific" and they were definitely not. I called the seller (KapscoMoto) and I sent pictures and they would not do anything about it. The front would not lift the tire off the ground unless like Itgoes said you put some wood under the wheels. So I took the wheels off and put bigger wheels on. I just happened to have the wheels here and now it works fine. The rear is NOT wide enough. I turned the stand sideways and put it over my floor jack and spread it wider so now it is wide enough. Now I have working stands on cheap. I'm sure the pit bulls would be way better but like you said there pricy. My bike won't be on the stands much so I think what I have will be OK.

 

[servion]

I bought both of the Venom stands they said were "VMAX Specific" and they were definitely not. I called the seller (KapscoMoto) and I sent pictures and they would not do anything about it. The front would not lift the tire off the ground unless like Itgoes said you put some wood under the wheels. So I took the wheels off and put bigger wheels on. I just happened to have the wheels here and now it works fine. The rear is NOT wide enough. I turned the stand sideways and put it over my floor jack and spread it wider so now it is wide enough. Now I have working stands on cheap. I'm sure the pit bulls would be way better but like you said there pricy. My bike won't be on the stands much so I think what I have will be OK.

Aah thank you so much for the direct info. So they definitely won't fit as is.... If I follow suit and copy your situation, do those stands as it seem strong and stable enough to trust our bikes for a few days? It will likely take me some time to get the forks fully out, refreshed and back together.

Where did you get the wheels that are large enough to lift the bike, and how large are those wheels?

Itgoes I could try that option as well, but am concerned about the bike fully balancing on the oil pan for a few days, and being stable to be stable enough for me to yank on the forks - is it balanced well enough for that?

 

[Tony Strange]

I bought T-Rex stands for mine and I love em. Front one engages into the lower triple tree nicely and will allow for fork removal.

 

[servion]

I bought T-Rex stands for mine and I love em. Front one engages into the lower triple tree nicely and will allow for fork removal.

Tony that's great, I'd be willing to drop the $230 on those if they fit without modifications. Is the link above that Itgoes posted above the exact ones that you purchased? If I search on their site for parts for a 2009 VMAX they don't show that as an options that fits, but the link does have VMAX in the title (similar to the Venom ones haha).

Can you please confirm which exact ones you ordered and which pin you got? Doe they definitely lift the bike completely together so I could service the forks without any blocks or modifications?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[Itgoes]

Looks like the T-Rex stands are the ticket as far as price/ability. They are fairly new to the market.....they weren't available when I bought any of my stuff.

As far as the setup in the photos with the adapter - it is very stable....I could climb on the bike while it was up in the air. There is very little weight on the wood blocks, when you pickup the bike with the adapter it will leave the front wheel on the ground but you could actually grab the front end and lift it off the ground. Essentially 80% -90% of the weight is on the adapter, the wood is just there to keep the bike from tipping forward. What I would do is lift the bike really high, place the blocks under the oil pan which is flat, and then lower the bike down until it's level.

Mark

 

[Drum Dog]

Aah thank you so much for the direct info. So they definitely won't fit as is.... If I follow suit and copy your situation, do those stands as it seem strong and stable enough to trust our bikes for a few days? It will likely take me some time to get the forks fully out, refreshed and back together.

Where did you get the wheels that are large enough to lift the bike, and how large are those wheels?

Itgoes I could try that option as well, but am concerned about the bike fully balancing on the oil pan for a few days, and being stable to be stable enough for me to yank on the forks - is it balanced well enough for that?

No problem, I went through what your doing when I got my 2019.
The wheels I put on the front stand are 4" in diameter. I think it came with 3" and they are off of a old TV stand. Is it stable? yes I think it is pretty stable and I will be using them. Would I pay 2x the price for stands that work out of the box instead? Heck ya

 

[Tony Strange]

I bought the ones listed for a second Gen and required no modification.

 

[Traumahawk]

I bought the ones listed for a second Gen and required no modification.

Do you remember what the pin size was. It offers 16.5 or 18 (of course I dont know if it actually makes a difference or not.)

 

[servion]

I bought the ones listed for a second Gen and required no modification.

Do you by chance have a part number or link to the one your ordered? I am looking on their site and the only thing they sell for the second gen max is lowering links, no stands. They list stands for the first gen but not the second.

 

[Traumahawk]

Do you by chance have a part number or link to the one your ordered? I am looking on their site and the only thing they sell for the second gen max is lowering links, no stands. They list stands for the first gen but not the second.

You can do a search for Vmax NOT V-max.

https://www.t-rex-racing.com/searchresults.asp?Search=Vmax

 

[servion]

Strangely enough, if I use their "shop by ride" feature on the website and enter a 2nd gen max, only the lowering links show up (no stands). If I do it for a first gen, only the rear stand shows up.

Here is what I'm thinking about ordering: https://www.t-rex-racing.com/Black-...Stand-V-Vmax-p/blatt-blafv-blarv-vmax-pin.htm

I tried calling them but they're not answering (probably because its a Friday after the 4th of July ). If Tony Strange or anyone else can confirm that this is the specific kit will work for the 2nd gen, I'll order today, otherwise I'll wait and see if I can get confirmation from T-Rex that this is the right pair and will work.

I did some googling, and I found that the 8S pin from pitbull is what their stand calls for, and it is 16.75mm in diameter, so that'll be the one I order.

 

[oediehl]

 

[dannymax]

Be careful with those platform screw jacks, the force exerted on the outboard bearing retainer is more than enough to blow it right out thereby collapsing the jack!
These forces are greatly increased by using the set-up above.
THAT is a recipe for disaster!

 

[oediehl]

Thanks for the advice, but I've had no issues using this a or a similar setup on the VMAX or my GL1800. I just went back and looked at the product sales stats, and it calls it an 1100 lb lift. Not sure why the setup above would increase the force, since it's basically just lifting the front end while the rear stays grounded?

 

[dannymax]

The closer to the center of gravity you place the jack the more lifting force it will exert on the rear end...which is locked down.
Study the mechanism holding the bearing to the end plate on the hex nut end. You may be able to beef it up to help keep it in place. And possibly the manufacturer has already done that...historically it's the weak point of the jack.
Also lube the hell out of the threads each time you use it.

 

[oediehl]

Thx. The rear end isn't locked down to the floor, it's locked down to a 2X12, which isn't fastened to anything other than the rear tire. The purpose is just to ensure that the bike doesn't tip to one side or the other. So the most weight the jack could lift would be the total weight of the bike, plus the 2X12, right? I see it more as sort of a leverage thing, leaving some of the weight of the bike on the rear end, while the rest gets lifted with the front end. I'll have a look at the bearing to see how it's retained, and lubing the threads is pretty much always a good idea. Thanks.

 

[dannymax]

Gotcha! Thought it was lagged to the floor.